The New Normal: Lessons learnt for educators during COVID-19

Dr. Moitrayee Das & Dishita Swaika

Pandemic and Beyond

In March 2020, when governments around the world announced nationwide lockdowns, there started what is considered to be a massive turning point in our history. With restrictions placed on movement, people were confined to the four walls of their houses. People (the ones with access and privilege) turned to technology for all major aspects of their lives, i.e., work, education, and social interactions, among others. The education sector, among many others, was one of the hardest-hit sectors, with the transition into an online mode throwing educators into the deep end of the swimming pool. Some of the biggest changes experienced by educators can be categorised under the following:

Permeation of Technology and Related Skills

Going into the pandemic, teachers were highly unfamiliar with new technological tools, placing undue stress on them to adapt quickly. Peer learning as well as learning from family members seemed to be the most effective, along with some training programmes organised by institutions like the National Council for Research Training. This opened doors to innovative digital tools that would be utilised as teaching aids, which continue to be used even in the post-pandemic offline form of teaching. Educators consider this a gift of online education and receive regular training to familiarise themselves with these tools. Professional developmental training programmes have become a common occurrence in many educational organisations, with faculty constantly being trained in effectively using technology to make education more fruitful in a digitally oriented world. Thus, upskilling has become a constant need for educators to enhance their performance. Access to technology was also not easy for many educators in the early days of the pandemic, with many having to invest in laptops and internet connections. Thus, the digital divide between the privileged and the non-privileged seems to be ever-widening, with a handful getting access to it, unlike the rest. However, that has always been the case. But the pandemic has brought the harsh facts to our faces, with no scope to blissfully ignore them. Thus, it means that now, irrespective of the situation, education will not be hampered because teachers are equipped with the skills to quickly adapt to an online form of education.

Shifting working conditions

One of the biggest changes that occurred due to the pandemic was a shift in working conditions. A study conducted among educators in 2021 showed that nearly 23.7% of the respondents reported an increase in workload. Further, while 55% of the respondents had worked for 8–10 hours a day before the pandemic, 25.5% reported working 10 hours or more a day during the pandemic (Chandran et al., 2021). With teachers taking classes from home, there was an intersection of personal and professional lives, which meant that now they were assumed to be devoted to their job 24 hours a day and were expected to be available at all times. A hybrid mode of teaching also resulted in some teachers doing double shifts in a day, with offline classes in the first half of the day and online classes in the second half. Unfortunately, this expectation of being available at all times has carried into the post-pandemic offline world as well, with teachers being asked to join online meetings beyond working hours and on non-working days. This is a trend that needs to be addressed urgently by organisations.

Increasing Emphasis on Mental Health

With the online mode of teaching, the classroom experience became more like a “one-sided conversation”, with teachers delivering lectures without any response from students. Thus, with a lack of direct and immediate feedback, teachers were unable to assess the understanding of the students. This led to a drop in their job satisfaction and motivation since they had no real way of knowing if their teaching was being effectively absorbed by their students. Also, like in other sectors, the pandemic brought about a string of layoffs in the education sector as well. This fear of being laid off also affected the motivation of existing employees since the future of their jobs was uncertain. Soon, organisations started realising the impact this was having on the mental health of educators and took measures for the same, which continue to be in place even in the post-pandemic world. Regular mental health awareness sessions as well as de-stressing sessions with access to counsellors for teachers have become a regular affair in educational organisations. This is a positive change that is here to stay. Also, with parents getting access to the classroom through the online mode, there was a newfound appreciation for the teaching community. Teachers have been important heroes since time immemorial, and this appreciation and respect for their work has carried into the post-pandemic world as well, thereby also increasing their motivation to continue doing their incredible work.

The pandemic has in all ways been an “unprecedented” event in our history, with significant changes taking place. There have been both positive and negative changes in the workplace environment, but the most common thread that runs through all of them is the recognition of the value of humans as humans rather than just replaceable employees. Organisations have begun to humanise work by empowering individuals with the tools, culture, and mindset to reach their full potential and achieve unimaginable outcomes. Organisations that understand this will not only endure hardships in the current times but will definitely thrive in the post-pandemic world as well.